Love it or hate it, starship combat is a continual set piece of Adventure Paths and Society Scenarios. Those unaccustomed and even less eager to engage, will experience a lull to the session. In turn, that will dampen the gameplay for others at the table. Starship Combat is a team effort. Once everyone comes together and assumes their roles, everything falls into place.
Vivid starship combat comes to the forefront as the Pilot pulls off daring maneuvers, the Captain encouraging and pushing them, the Science Officer scanning the enemy ship, the gunner punishing the enemy hull, and the Engineer keeping the ship together while diverting vital power reserves ... it can be glorious to behold.
Regular combat is fun, but in the end everyone does their own thing when fighting the alien. But with starship combat, everyone works together and with given roles, players act and sound like a genuine starship crew.
If you should wish to further engage within the role-playing element, the following enhancements are starship environmental dangers as a result of starship combat. You are welcome to use these in your game and perhaps inspire you to create even more terrifying threats.
Damage Report (GM random roll, targeting random PC)
When the shields are down and the hull is all that is left...
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Explosion
Initial Effect: 8d12 F; Reflex DC 18 half; all
targets
Once damage has been resolved, any character may
attempt the following, enable bridge halon disbursement or dousing the fire (as determined by GM), thereby giving up their ship action in the process.
Bypass: Computer DC 20 (enable emergency halon dispensers)
Secondary
Effect: On the following round (even with halon disbursement) the area is filled with
smoke. For those without environment protection, inhalation of
heavy smoke and halon toxins. The character must attempt a
Fortitude save each round while within the smoke (DC = 15 + 1 per
previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A
character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6
nonlethal damage. Smoke obscures vision, giving concealment
(20% miss chance) to characters within it. The smoke lasts
1d6 rounds. During the effect, there is a 20% failure chance
to participate in ship combat, provided that the controls and
console is obscured by your vision.
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Vacuum
Initial Effect: A rush of air escaping
through the hull breach forces all targets to make a DC 16
Reflex save each round. With a successful save, the target
manages to find a handhold and can move 5 feet as a full
action. On a failed save, the target is knocked prone and is
pushed by rushing air toward the hull breach. Failure by 5 or
more indicates the target suffers 2d6 bludgeoning damage. The
rush of air persists for 2 rounds if the doors to the room are
shut, or for 1 minute if open.
Secondary Effect: On the following round every character may attempt the following, giving up their ship action
Bypass: Computer DC 20 (enable emergency blast
door)
Disable: Destroy bulkhead panel (EAC 17; KAC 16) |
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Bulkhead Collapse
Initial Effect: 4d10+4 P & B; Reflex DC 16 half
Secondary Effect:
Attempt to Pin target KAC +8 (1d20+15)
If pinned, you receive a -4 to ship actions until you are freed by a crew mate or if you perform an Acrobatics DC 22 to escape. On the subsequent rounds, any character may attempt to free you, giving up their ship action in the process.
Disable: Engineering DC 24
(makeshift fulcrum)
Bypass: Strength DC 16 (Lift) |
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Jolting Console
The console sparks with electricity,
shocking the triggering creature.
Effect: Arc of Electricity
6d6; Reflex DC 14 half
Any character may attempt the following, giving up their ship
action in the process:
Disable: Engineering DC 26 (disable shock plates) Bypass: wireless key card reader (Computers DC 22 to hack) |
